pappabearbooks Chapter 404 - 370: Lost in the Sandstorm, Scorpion Ancestor, and the Cunning Crocodile Man!
Chapter 404 - 370: Lost in the Sandstorm, Scorpion Ancestor, and the Cunning Crocodile Man!
In the distance, Shang Ruyi was still roasting potatoes...He hummed an unknown tune, feeling quite cheerful.
Meng Chuan was traveling alone, crazily leveling up.
The school might actually surpass Eastern United University and take the top spot in this trial.
If they truly seize first place, his team leader task rating will ascend another level.
Far more useful than the few hundred battle merits his disciple Motohiko earned...
"No idea which way that kid went. If he comes across the temple, that would be quite a fortune..."
The temple was also a little "Easter egg" set by Yang Zhuo for this trial.
If no one discovers it, it will belong to the military... ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ????????????????????⚫????????????????⚫????????????
...
The next day, the last day of this trial at the Demon Nest.
Everyone in the camp set out in groups, trying to make one last catch at the final moment.
In the Eastern United University’s camp several miles away, everyone was even more determined to make a final push on the last day.
"I heard from the folks at Northern United University that the person above Brother Xuan is their school’s vice-captain, Meng Chuan."
"Really? I remember he’s the same as Brother Xuan, both are first-rank, right?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"...Tsk tsk, in this era, the four second-rank captains are being overshadowed by these two, it’s truly incomprehensible."
Meanwhile, deep within the Demon Nest.
Meng Chuan had just crawled out of the [Crystal Cave].
"Ptooey, ptooey!"
Meng Chuan crawled out with a dusty face, an invisible force bursting from his body, shaking off all the plaster on him.
What Crystal Cave, it was all solidified plaster crystals.
He had fought a fierce battle with the upper-ranking Sand Gravel Demon in the deepest part, causing the cave to collapse, resulting in his current sorry state.
However, the harvest was abundant, as the upper core of the opponent was quite pure.
Void-type Celestial Demons are not only few in number, but also rare in materials.
Most of the time, after hunting, only the core, a single material, can be obtained.
But this Sand Gravel Demon was different.
As the old monster of the Crystal Cave, its body turned into a field of yellow-grey crystals after death, from which Meng Chuan took the largest and brightest one.
Though he didn’t know its use, he thought it would probably exchange for course credits.
Exiting the cave, Meng Chuan was checking the Demon Nest guidelines, preparing to choose a new route for the return trip.
After figuring it out, when he looked up again, he found that the sky had become dim.
Large grains of dust filled the air, a sign that a sandstorm was approaching.
Without further hesitation, Meng Chuan quickly packed his things and rushed southwest.
Five hours earlier, he already experienced the power of the raging sandstorm and didn’t want a second taste.
"Indeed, the deeper you go, the greater the likelihood of encountering the wrath of nature.
The sandstorm areas noted in the Demon Nest guidelines are completely inaccurate, as this thing’s mobility range is large and speed too fast, there’s no fixed point."
Things learned from books are always superficial; true understanding requires firsthand experience.
Having played cat and mouse with sandstorms multiple times, he had gained some experience.
With winds coming from the northeast, slanting past, he simply ran along with it, as changing direction would more likely get him caught.
"Whoosh whoosh..."
With Meng Chuan’s full-speed burst, the sandstorm was left behind.
Along the fleeing route, many Celestial Demons emerged from the ground or caves, racing alongside him.
Meng Chuan easily accepted it, a convenient task.
With each leap spanning over a hundred meters, Meng Chuan ran stride by stride, completely unaware that he seemed to have veered off course...
Suddenly, on his left side, dust erupted.
A massive creature, like him, was madly moving its multiple legs to escape.
Meng Chuan sensed it slightly, feeling a strong oppressive aura hitting him.
This demon scorpion’s body was massive like a hill; he estimated it was at least fifty meters in size.
Its shell was thicker than a city wall, with a slightly worn black-brown color, reflecting a metallic sheen in the sandstorm.
It was definitely an old scorpion, a Scorpion Ancestor.
"This thing is worth at least ninety, if not a hundred, battle merits..."
It truly was a being at the pinnacle of upper rank.
Not to mention the sandstorm behind him, even without it, Meng Chuan wouldn’t provoke it.
Fighting a battle would be too exhausting; its strength was likely greater than that of the underworld anaconda, and there was no treasure in its nest, making it unworthy of the risk.
Meng Chuan wasn’t reckless; every challenge against a powerful upper-rank Celestial Demon was assessed for risks and rewards.
He would only seek fortune amidst danger if the rewards far outweighed the risks.
The Scorpion Ancestor was also busy escaping, being crafty and old, it couldn’t be bothered to entangle with Meng Chuan.
Hundreds of meters apart, they each escaped in their own direction, not interfering with each other.
...
After a long while, the large grains of sand in the wind had disappeared, and the Scorpion Ancestor was nowhere to be seen.
Meng Chuan stopped, taking a moment to catch his breath.
He looked around, then closely studied the Demon Nest guidelines.
"Where have I run to?"
All around were low hills, and looking farther ahead, there was nothing, just an endless expanse.
He then realized that he seemed to have deviated from the predetermined route of this trial.
Given the situation, he should just settle and go hunting...
If he couldn’t find the way back, he believed the rescue team would come and give him a hand...
If not, he would enjoy a hunting spree; if food ran out, he could always try eating scorpion meat.
He had previously tried roasting scorpion meat; it was quite flavorful, and the texture was alright, just high in demonic qi.
Even a dragon demon’s stomach might have trouble handling it...
"If Master Yang Zhuo asked why he didn’t adhere to the seven-day rule, he’d have a reason..."
After all, he was truly lost...
Regaining focus, with having deviated from the map and no sun or moon to guide him, Meng Chuan couldn’t distinguish north, south, east, or west.
He had a brainwave and invoked the Tao Heart.
"Which way should we go?"
"..."
The Tao Heart was in sync with his thoughts, but it really couldn’t handle this task.
"...Forget it."
Meng Chuan sensed the sand and wind; this place was very peculiar. The wind was extremely weak, as if covered by a wind-stopping pearl.
After some assessment, he decided to move in the direction from which the wind came.
If the source was a sandstorm, he could potentially find the way back to the Crystal Cave.
Although he spoke of the Defense Army’s rescue as a backup plan, it was best not to trouble others if possible.
...
Meng Chuan sped along the wind direction, and suddenly caught sight of a shadow flickering behind a sand dune.
He dashed over like lightning, stabbing the dune with his spear and blowing it apart.
The sand and rocks scattered, a cold light flashed, and the tip of the Tiger Soul spear rang with the sound of clashing metal.
Meng Chuan focused his gaze; it resembled a crocodile head with its elongated snout and large mouth, covered in green wrinkled skin.
It attempted to bite his head but savagely bit onto the spear tip instead.
The dust scattered; its overall shape was quite distinct.
Its lower body stood upright like a human, but its limbs were covered in scales and it had sharp teeth.
Could this thing be from the same ilk as those remains inside the cave earlier?
Recalling that massive skull, it very much matched the crocodile head.
Meng Chuan prepared to dismantle and examine it.
With force in his arms, the Tiger Soul rotated, instantly tearing a pile of teeth to pieces on the ground.
"Oh oh oh!"
The Crocodile Man cried out in pain. Meng Chuan withdrew his spear and prepared to defend, but saw the other creature turn and run away.
"Its intelligence seems notably higher than that of regular middle rank Celestial Demons."
Other creatures like sand scorpions, spiders, and pythons wouldn’t give up without losing several of their kin.
Meng Chuan propelled himself with his toes, quickly catching up.
Then he bent his arm and thrust the Blade Devourer, hitting the Crocodile Man’s thigh, instantly pinning it to the ground.
Meng Chuan pressed one knee against the creature, pulling out the Tiger Soul and aiming it at the Crocodile Man’s head.
The Crocodile Man’s murky yellow eyes widened greatly; Meng Chuan could sense its tension.
"You’re not dead, right? Can you understand human speech?"
"..."
"Might as well kill it."
"Oh oh oh? Oh!"
Meng Chuan sensed that the Crocodile Man truly didn’t understand his words.
It merely perceived the gathering killing intent and shouted nervously, unwilling to die...
Meng Chuan had an idea; he let his leg slip, allowing the Crocodile Man to scramble up and dart away without hesitation.
Meng Chuan silently counted a few seconds, then discreetly [compressed] his presence, trailing behind it.
If this crocodile head truly was the "stick figure" from the mural, it surely belonged to a communal species as described in the mural.
Following it might lead to the location of its entire clan.
Whether to go on a killing spree or uncover the truth behind the mural was just a step away...
...
About ten minutes later, Meng Chuan’s face turned livid.
The veins stood out on his right hand as he gripped the Crocodile Man’s throat, ready to strangle this damned creature.
That’s right, he had been deceived...
The Crocodile Man kept twisting and turning, sometimes even running back and forth.
Clearly it had guessed what he intended and deliberately led him astray...
"I didn’t expect you to be quite loyal..."
Meng Chuan’s killing intent became tangible as the Crocodile Man struggled and yelled.
If so, he’d have to resort to the cruelest method.
Demons were also Celestial Demons; Meng Chuan wouldn’t show any mercy.
Lest it be forgotten, he was the "Executioner" known to all, from the destroyed Yong’an branch of the Demon Summoning Hall...
With force from his palm, accompanied by the crackling sound of shattered throat bones, the Crocodile Man’s neck was crushed like a thin sheet of paper.
The Bridgehead Month blade flashed, gleaming cold lights, dissecting the creature into eight pieces.
He scattered them east and west, throughout the area within Meng Chuan’s sensing range.
He planned to use this to fish for "crocodiles" and see if it would attract its kin to appear.
Although the wind here was weak, it would condense the scent of blood, carrying it far.
"Limit it to completing the circulation of today’s cultivation technique training. If unsuccessful, I will seek them myself."
Anyway, he was lost. It might as well be a target to help uncover the truth of the mural.
Killing this Crocodile Man further confirmed the suspicion he had since assisting with the police mission, battling the Demon Summoning Hall’s deputy priest.
Because the Crocodile Man he just killed, like the so-called Demon Path martial artists, had no True Spirit or any core, which were essential Celestial Demon markers.
As for concept-type Celestial Demons, the creature was clearly not one, resembling more a "creature" tainted by Demonic Qi.
He could only sense that after killing it, battle merits were recorded following the blood stains.
Hence, the Crocodile Man was recognized as a [Celestial Demon] by Great Chu’s officials in terms of battle merit tokens.
Meng Chuan was aware that only killing Celestial Demons could be recorded as battle merits.
This point was also a rule of Great Chu regarding the use of battle merit tokens, executed as a standardized method by the Defense Army.
To prevent some social martial arts families from plotting in Demon Nests, using relaxed kin alertness for rampant killings to deceitfully earn battle merits.
Coming back to his senses, Meng Chuan no longer indulged in reveries.
Sitting cross-legged behind a larger sand dune, he started his cultivation technique practice.
With Dragon Demon and Tao Heart as two mighty protectors, he felt quite assured.
...
Time passed, and Meng Chuan suddenly opened his eyes, stopping the cultivation technique operation.
He had sensed that a "crocodile" had taken the bait.
Meng Chuan quietly rose to his feet, reducing his presence to the utmost and began circling with the opponent.
He learned from his previous lesson not to disturb the opponent while it collected the bodies of its kin.